I think people are starting to get it

This from the NY Daily News:

Someone in authority must give the order. Who might that be? The mayor? The governor? The state police chief? FEMA? Homeland Security? The White House? Who's in charge? Not yet from the terrible shambles has there arisen any identifiable Giuliani-esque figure who appears to be calmly and confidently running the show.

They understand that the White House is last resort, not the first, and that the responsibility to provide for public safety is first the responsibility of the Mayor, then the Governor. FEMA is further up the chain and then, and only then, should the President of the United States get involved. Mr. Bush is not the mayor of New Orleans. And later...

Who's in charge? Random lawlessness went unaddressed in the early hours of Katrina's aftermath, search and rescue clearly being more pressing a concern. That was then. Today, New Orleans is spinning wildly out of control, as armed-to-the-teeth killers carve out post-apocalypse gangdoms with little fear of consequences. The critically ill are under siege in hospital beds. The elderly are driven from nursing homes. Snipers fire at evacuation points. These are budding warlords. The city must be taken back from them. The members of this lawless army need to know their own lives are in danger.